If anybody wanted to start a library today, the first
recommendation would be to learn
from the activities of fellow librarians. Astronomy has particularly
impressive examples of concepts and projects, some of them being
exemplary for achievements of librarians in general.
We have been dealing with the paper and, for several
years now, the electronic environment which has taught us
a few lessons.

Librarians' mission and rôle

New tools - same mission
Over the course of the years, astronomy librarians have developed,
adjusted and
improved information retrieval techniques; the range of
tools we use has been supplemented by new ones as they became
available. Our general mission, however, remains unchanged: we
continue to fulfill the information needs of our
users by selecting, collecting, managing, preserving, and providing
access to distributed resources.

Non-database specific, system-independent
information retrievers
This description of librarians, coined by STScI librarian Sarah
Stevens-Rayburn,
illustrates that we know how to apply available tools
most effectively in order to obtain
requested information. In doing so, we are
not limited to any particular database or computer system, but
deliver information
in whatever format needed, using all kinds of appropriate information
resources.

Librarians interact with users
A major
advantage of librarians over mechanical databases is our interacting
with users. They often appreciate being able to talk to a person
instead of searching computer systems that may or may not interpret
queries the way they were meant. Up to now, no
retrieval system has been able to substitute for this human
component.

Librarians as mediators
As we talk to scientists, we learn about their perception of library
services, their requirements
for electronic and print publications and their
suggestions for improvements. Librarians use this
favorable situation to mediate
between users and providers of information resources.

Recognize the changing paradigm
In the electronic environment, some traditional library functions will
no longer be performed by
small libraries. In particular archiving will be taken care
of by others, probably national
or other large libraries together with publishers; librarians in
small libraries will be responsible for locating and providing access to
archived electronic
publications. We must let go of tasks that are accomplished better
elsewhere rather than in our small specialized libraries; this will
not put us out of
business as long as we recognize the opportunities the electronic
era bears.
As new technologies become available, we need to consider which of them
can and should be used in our libraries to increase efficiency and
provide better service. Not everything needs to be applied, but
useful improvements must be selected and implemented.

Electronic publications

Electronic journals: good and bad
When we subscribe to electronic journals, we often would like to be more
discriminating than we actually can be regarding "poor" electronic
journals - user demand usually dictates that certain e-journals be made
available no matter whether or not they meet essential requirements. Particularly
crucial features are extensive hyperlinking within as well as across publications,
assurance of authenticity and integrity, and system-independent archives
which can be transfered into new storage formats for future access. These
and other quality standards are yet to be made mandatory for electronic
journals.

Network of distributed data resources
The publication paradigm is changing from independent, self-sufficient
articles to small interlinked pieces, assembled on demand in "information
clusters", and today's journals may develop into a complex network
of distributed information (Boyce, 2000). Resources
that are not interconnected are in danger of being unaccessible in future.
Even if we may struggle with the idea of not owning publications that
we can keep physically within our libraries - the future lies in material
that is integrated in the network of distributed resources.

Protect existing user rights
The use of electronic journals is no longer regulated by general
copyright, but through license contracts. They can change considerably
the way readers are allowed to use publications. Some
publishers try to
establish restrictive licenses, ignoring the
fact that publications are
different from other goods in that they must be accessible and useable
for research, education, and personal purposes by anybody at
reasonable prizes. Librarians
aim at saving existing user rights
regarding accessing, copying, and sharing of publications which
have a long tradition in the paper environment. Of particular
concern is
perpetual access to electronic publications which often is not
guaranteed. License agreements therefore require careful scrutiny before
they are signed.

Cooperation: more important than ever
In a world of interlinked resources, cooperation is more impotant than ever.
Among astronomy librarians, networking has a long-standing tradition. Astrolib,
our popular mailing list, has been operative since the 1980s, many astronomy
librarians know each other personally, and we often collaborate on projects.
The series of LISA
(Library and Information Services in Astronomy) conferences have become
an established event that takes places regularly. Astro librarians are a very
welcoming community, always willing to share their experience. In any profession,
continued learning is essential these days, and what we can learn from each
other does not (yet) appear in any librarian's handbook, even though it should.